Going out on top

Michael Jordan. Dominic Hasek. John Elway. Ray Broque. Bill Russell. All of these athletes retired after winning their respective sports championship (even though Jordan is wearing some funny-looking blue jersey now). I have no right putting my name along side the names of these great athletes, but for one brief, shining moment I will. No, I've never won a championship in pretty much any sport I've participated in, but I do feel like I am going out on top.\nNever would I have thought that one day I would be editor in chief of the IDS. I mean my first article was a writing tragedy published in the "Jobs and Internships" special publication on cover letters. When I think about it, I get a headache and a strange twitch on the left side of my face. But even after that debacle, I decided to stick with it with the sports desk. \nAfter several beats, I became sports editor last summer. I enjoyed it so much, I kept it for the following two semesters. But still, I never thought I would even consider being editor in chief until I realized that I had an extra semester for my student teaching, meaning another summer in Bloomington. \nWhile sports is something I love and cherish, I just wasn't too excited for a fourth straight semester. But I knew I wanted to d1o something at the IDS. I just enjoy the environment and the journalism too much. Some call it a sickness, I would call it ... well, a sickness. \nI never thought I could handle the workload and pressure that comes with sitting at the helm of a 135-year-old journalism tradition. I'm an education major. But, in April, I made the best decision of my college career. \nI filled out the 13-page essay of an application, stood in front of the public and a board made of professional journalists who have forgotten more about journalism than I know, and became the summer editor of the Indiana Daily Student. Lucky me.\nWhile nervous at first, I really became comfortable with sitting in the EIC office with my name on the EIC door and my butt sitting in the EIC chair. It was fun, and I don't regret a single thing about it. Sure there were rough times, and we faced our fair share of criticism, but that only helps us grow as a paper and as journalists. The thing that must be realized is that criticism is a vital part of journalism. Critics do not know us personally, so it must not be taken personal. \nBut overall, this paper flourished. The amount of local copy that was produced was amazing. After spending last summer full of the Associated Press wire, this summer was a great way to go out on top. Might I also add that this is the first summer ever that the IDS Weekend has been published. Weekend editor Ryan Hildebrandt and his staff did a great job, and since he is also leaving the IDS at the end of the semester, I know he feels like he is going out on top as well. \n And through all this, we pleased our toughest critics of all: our alumni. \n During the IU journalism school's alumni weekend, the IDS had an open house for its alums. During the open house, compliments were given to the desk editors for the amount of local copy produced from alumni who graduated as late as the '30s and as recent as last May. IDS Associate Publisher Don Cross even said it was the best summer paper he has seen in his 30 years here.\nThis is not bragging. This is praising the wonderful group of desk editors that sacrificed their summers to make this paper wonderful. They made my final semester at the IDS wonderful. While Jordan, Elway and Hasek I'm not, with this summer's IDS, I'm happy with just being me.